Ordnance.



meme me sa, sem.

J. W." KLiNE.

RDNANCE.

(Application filed klar. 5, 1901.)

(No Mode.)

- 2 Shegts-Slheei I.

No. 675,649. Patented, sung ls, mol.

J. W. KLINE.

RDNANCE.

(Application filed Mar, 5, 1901.). (Re Eiodel.) 2 Si eeee s-Sheet 2.

Z'"Y i 1l Jenn W. nLrNE, or WAsrnNeroN, Drs'rmc'r or COLUMBIA.

ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,649, dated June 18,1901.

u i Application iiled March 5, 1901. Serial No. 49,837. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JOHN VV.KLINE,a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, have inventedcertain' new and useful Improvements in Ordnance; and I do herebydeclarethe following'to be a full, clear,and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in breech-loading ordnance, and hasfor its objects tol provide an auxiliary removable jacket or sleeve tobe applied to the breech end of the gunand which supports and retainsinproper relation to the gunthe breechblock and its operating mechanism,to p'rovide means carried on the gun to support the muzzle and preventthe sagging or deflection of the extreme end, and to provide meanswhereby the body of the gun may be reversed.

supports, and the breech mechanism are secured. lHence in assembling andfitting these various parts it has been necessary to operate upon theentire heavy cumbersome gun structure, thereby requiring the attentionot' many skilled Workmen and greatly increasing lits cost ofconstructiomas Well as multiplyingthe chances of seriously damaging orabsolutely ruining the piece by unforseen accidents to the delicate andcomplicated mechanism employed in machining the parts. My inventionAentirely avoids these vital objections, as I employ a separateremovable'auxiliary jacket which may be apolied to or removed from gunsof thejsame type, which carries all of the detachable mechanism, andwhich may be Worked up and assembled with its coperat- 1 p ing parts asan integral structure and .then

applied to the gun-body, which has been previously made ready. By thismeans the cost .of manufacture Will be greatly reduced, the

facility with -which the parts" are machined will be materiallyenhanced, and the danger of injuring the entire gun structure, due toaccident or carelessness, will be entirely obviated.

In the modern gun cll forty or fifty calibers as now constructed it hasbeen discovered that the great weight ot the muzzle end projecting farout from the carriage-supports inevitably causes the end of the gun todrop, thereby producing a buckle or bend in the bore, which increaseswith time. est deviation from the normal alinernent of the borematerially interferes with 'the passage of the projectile through thegun, and even a small drop or deflection is snllicicnt to result inwedging the projectile in the riiling and, if the charge of powder islarge, to rupture the gun at the point of stoppage of the projectile. Ineitherevent the gun would bc damaged beyond repair.

The slight-v By my invention I am enabled to wholly avoid the bucklingor deflection of the guubarrel or to correct any deviation that has ioccurred in a gun already in use. To this end I employ an adjustablestay or support connected to the respective ends of the gun and adaptedto support the muzzle or free end and preserve the absolute alinement ofthe bore throughout. I further contemplate correcting any existing sagor deflection of thegun by reversing or turning the body one hundred andeighty degrees after removing the aux iliary jacket and remounting thegun in its reversed position in the carriage and subscquentlyres'eouring the jacket and its appur tenant parts in place. By thismeans all of the parts are retained in their proper relation and thedeflected tube will settle back to a normal alinement. y

My invention is disclosed in the nying drawings, in which- Figure lillustrates a modern type of highcaliber ordnance with my improvementsattached. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show details of vaaccom parionsmodifications of the auxiliary jacket and the means for securing thesame to the gun-body. Fig. 5 is an 'enlargedend clevation of themechanism shown in Fig. l. Figs.

IOO

6 and 7 are an elevation and a section of the 1 auxiliary jacket showninFig. l. Figs. 8, 9, .and l0 are further modilications of the jacketand its securing means.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the body with the successive hoops andthe jacket shrunk on. The breech end of the gun is fin- .ished with aseries of keys or lugs A12 A13, disposed about the periphery thereof toafford a securing means for a removable auxiliary sleeve or jacket C',which is bored to accurately fit the butt of the gun and to project overthe rear face thereof, as clearly indi-'.

cated. A fillet A on the breech end of the gun is adapted to receive acorresponding shoulder C9, turned on the inside of the jacket C. Theinterior of the jacket C is provided with a groove C12 C13 to engage thecorresponding lugs A12 A13 on the gun-body and secure thev parts inposition. Iuorder to lock the jacket to the gun-body, I providemachine-bolts E, which take through the overhanging flange of the jacketinto the metal of the 'gun-body, as clearly indicated. lThe breech-blockseat D in this particular form is carried by the jacket. (Shownparticularly in Figs. .land 7.)

Projecting upwardly from the surface of the" jacket is a lug C', Ithepurpose of which will be explained later, and on the opposite side ofsaid sleeve are two lugs C2, which are adapted to receive the'piston-rods O of the recoil mechanism O, which may be of any preferredform. l

Removably mounted on the muzzle end of the gun is a stirrup S, having aprojecting lip S extending toward the muzzle and a rearward arm S2 atits opposite side. Passing through a suitable perforation in the upperpart of said stirrup and secured thereto by a ball-joint R2 is a tensionor stay rod R, which is adj ustably secured to the lug C' on the jacketC. A saddle T, iitted'to the contour of the gun-body, supports the rod Rabout midway of its length and affords a suitable bearing for the rodwhen the same is under tension.

I contemplate applying the breech-plug l mechanism as an entirety to therear face of the sleeve C, 'and for this purpose I provide ahinge-socket G and the pin-bearing G to accommodate the pivotal breechmechanism; which may be of any of the well-known types.

' It is obviousgthat many changes may be made in the particular form ofthe annular jacket C, and the engaging means between the jacket and thegun-body may be varied to suit the particular design of the gun ortomeet the exigencios of'the strength and proportion. i

In Fig.' 2 I have shown the jacket of the same general type as thatshown in Fig. 1, except that a locking-joint of the bayonet type isprovided between thc jacket and the g gun-body, as shown at A2 C3,wherein A2 rep- -jacket by suitable bolts, as shown.

tion.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modification in which the 'locking-joint formed bythe grooves A3 on the gun and the ribs C4 on the jacket are providedwith a dovetail engagement for the purpose-of strengthening the joint.

' In Fig. 4I have illustrated the jacket, which is adapted to be appliedfrom the muzzle end of the gun a-nd set back to the seat on the breechend. To accommodate thisA arrangement, the gun is turned with a shoulderA4 adjacent to the breech end, which takes a corresponding flange C5 onthe insidepf the jacket, and the latter is drawn in position by means ofa ring F', which is screwed into said jacket until itfinds a firmbearing against the rear face at the breech end of the gun. The usuallocking-bolts E ,are also employed in this modification, and theseparable bushing B is fitted to provide the usual seat for thcbreechplug. In Fig. 8 the jacket is cylindrical in form and accuratelyfits the outer surface of the gun-body near the breech and is secured bymeans of Ithe locking-joint A2 C2, corresponding to that in Fig. 2. Therear end of the gun is provided with a projecting boss, which is fittedwith the breech-plug seat D2. rPhe annular shoulder thusleft on the rearof the gun is occupied by a ring-C21, which finds a firm bearing thereonand is screwed to the Fig. 9 differs from Fig. 8 only in the fact thatthe separate ring C21 has been replaced by a latscribed and is capableof the same applicaeral and integral ange on the jacket, which relievingthejacket from the recoil. A furtherv modification is shown in Fig. 10wherein the jacket C, which is secured by ockingfjoint A2 C5, as abovedescribed, is provided with a central boss C25, carrying thebreech-plugseat, which is accurately fitted to an annular recess in the breech endpf the gun.

In assembling a gun provided with myimprovements it is my purpose toapply the jacket by slipping it over the breech or the muzzle end,according to the particular construction employed, giving it a partialturn and locking the engaging ribs and grooves together, and thensecuring the jacket in position against further rotation by setting upthe bolts E in place, as shown in the various figures. It is to beunderstood, of course, that the jacket is finished and the parts madeready to receive the breech mechanism before i-t is applied to the gun,anditis obvious IIO that in handling and working the jacket, as v itweighs but a small fractional part of the total weight of the gun, feweroperatives willv beA required and the parts can be' adjusted and fittedwith greater facility and at much less expense than by the old method,wherein it was necessary to mount the entire gunerases It has been foundthat the modern ordnance of high caliber tends to sag at the muzzle, andunless this tendencyis corrected the gun Will be ruined after one ormore A rings 'by the projectile Wedging in vthe bore.`

I propose to avoid any tendency to sag at the muzzle by means of thestay-rod above de` scribed, and for this purpose the stirrup, which isremovably mounted on the muzzle end of the gun and rlnds a firm hearingon the taper thereof, is drawn up to hold the bore of the gun inalinement by setting up the nut4 R on the end of the stayrod, as will beapparent.

In order to correct any sagging that may have taken place, l contemplateturning` the gun over through one hundred and eighty degrees to reverseit in position in its carriage. This is accomplished by removing thejacket and its attached parts and revolving the gun about its axis untilit is reversed in position, after which the stirrup is turned to properrelation, the jacket secured in its new position, and the stay-rodloosely secured by the nut R to permit the muzzle end of the gun to dropby its own Weight until the bore again assumes accurate alinement, whenthe stay-rod is set to preserve the alinement thus attained.

What I claim as my invention is l. In breech-loading ordnance of thecharacter described, the combination with the body of the gnu, aremovable jacket secured to the breech end thereof and means to sc curethe breech-block and its operating mechanism to said jacket, said bodyand said jacket being so related that the body is reversible withrespect to the jacket.

In breech-loadingl ordnance of the charbody of the gun, a removablejacketisccured to the breech end thereof, cooperating en' gagging' meanson the jacket and the gunbody to lock the jacket in position, so relatedthat the body may be reversed with respect to the jacket, and means tosecure the breechn blockand its operating mechanism to said jacket. l

3. ln breeclrloading ordnance of the chan' acter described, thecombination with the body of the gun, a removable jacket secured to thebreech end thereof, and cooperating interlocking means on said gun-bodyand said jacket to secure the parts together, so related that the bodymay be reversed with respect tothe jacket.

4. In breech-loading ordnance ofthe character described, the combinationof the gunbody, a removable jacket secured to the breech end thereof andso related thereto that the body may be reversed with respect to thejacket, and an adjustable stay-rod secured to said jacket and the muzzleof the gun to prevent sagging ofthe latter.

5. In breech-loading ordnance of the character described the combinationof the'guubody, a removable jacket secured to the breech end thereof, astirrup removably'secured adjacent to the muzzle of the gun, and anadjustable stay rod connected to said jacket and said stirrup.

l'n testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence or" twowitnesses.

JOHN XV. KUNE.

'Vitnesses:

Ones. J. ONELL, Hue-n M. STERLING.

All!

